Carthage
) Repubblica cartaginese ( ) |image_flag = Flag of Carthage.png |alt_flag = |image_flag2 = |alt_flag2 = |image_coat = Coat of arms of Carthage.png |alt_coat = |symbol_type = Coat of arms |national_motto = Antiquis et Sember ( ) Ancient and Unending |national_anthem = Inno alla Repubblica Hymn to the Republic |royal_anthem = |other_symbol_type = |other_symbol = |image_map = Map of Carthage.png |alt_map = |map_caption = Map of Carthage in North Africa |image_map2 = |alt_map2 = |map_caption2 = |capital = Carthage |latd= | latm= | latNS= |longd= |longm= |longEW= |largest_city = capital |official_languages = |demonym = Carthaginian |regional_languages = |ethnic_groups = 74% European 26% Arabic 1% Berber |ethnic_groups_year = 2010 |government_type = |leader_title1 = Prime Minister |leader_name1 = Ettore Boerio (P.) |legislature = Parliament |upper_house = |lower_house = |sovereignty_type = from the |sovereignty_note = |established_event1 = Declared |established_date1 = 7 February 1801 |established_event2 = Recognized |established_date2 = 8 January 1805 |established_event3 = |established_date3 = |area = |area_km2 = 1,923,151 |area_sq_mi = 742,533 |area_rank = 15th |area_footnote = |percent_water = |population_estimate = 17,226,928 |population_estimate_rank = 64th |population_estimate_year = 2015 |population_census = 17,120,155 |population_census_year = 2010 |population_density_km2 = 8.958 |population_density_sq_mi = 23.2 |population_density_rank = 223rd |GDP_PPP = $652.073 billion |GDP_PPP_rank = 31st |GDP_PPP_year = 2015 |GDP_PPP_per_capita = $37,852 |GDP_PPP_per_capita_rank = 28th |GDP_nominal = $590.849 billion |GDP_nominal_rank = 22nd |GDP_nominal_year = 2015 |GDP_nominal_per_capita = $34,298 |GDP_nominal_per_capita_rank = 28th |Gini = 0.28 ( ) |Gini_ref = |Gini_rank = |Gini_year = 2010 |HDI = 0.838 ( ) |HDI_ref = |HDI_rank = 34th |HDI_year = 2015 |currency = Lira (£) |currency_code = CAL |time_zone = |utc_offset = +1 |time_zone_DST = |utc_offset_DST = +2 |DST_note = |date_format = DD-MM-YYYY |drives_on = Right |cctld = .cr |iso3166code = CAR |official_website = |calling_code = +216 |vehicle_reg = CAR |aircraft_code = CR |patron_saint = }} The Carthaginian Republic ( : Repubblica cartaginese) is a located in , along the southern shore of the . Consisting of a region that made up the eastern portions of , contemporary Carthage is bordered by the Mediterranean to the north, and to the east, and to the south, and to the west. Carthage has a population of 17,226,928, making it the world's largest nation in terms of population. Carthage also has a total land area of 1,923,151 square kilometers, making it the world's largest nation in terms of area. The Carthaginian Republic a in which the parliament is the supreme . The prime minister is elected from a within the parliament, in which the leader of the majority party or a majority coalition of parties is typically the winner. The parliament has a total of 250 seats, and all seats in the parliament are elected by the people in direct general elections held every six years, with the most recent election occurring in 2012. The prime minister is the and the , and they are responsible for the appointment of ministers of the various ministries and for the governance of the nation in general. The power of the prime minister, their government, and the parliament is checked by the constitutional court, the highest judicial authority in the nation. The constitutional court insures that the actions of the government does not go outside the limitations and responsibilities set by the constitution, and the specific rulings of the constitutional court require an amendment to the constitution itself before they can be overridden. This form of government was adopted on 7 June 1805, after the conclusion of the Franco-Italian conquest against the . The area now making up Carthage has a history that goes back thousands of years. The earliest history of Carthage goes back to about 814 BC, when settlers established the colony as a trading post of their early empire. At first of dependency of , the city of Carthage would gain independence in 650 BC, establishing a lasting political hegemony over other Phoenecian settlements in the . For most of its history, Carthage would have hostile relations with and the , leading to the and the , ultimately leading to the Roman conquest of Carthage and its empire in 146 BC. Under Roman rule, the area formerly constituting Carthage would prosper, with a vast growth in agricultural output and population. After the fall of Rome, the area would briefly come under rule from 430 to 533 AD, after which it would be conquered by of the . After the starting in 647, the native Berber peoples would be converted to and the region would go through various hands of both foreign and domestic rulers. A lasting political establishment would not come until 1230 with the establishment of the over the region, which would foster prosperous commercial connections and a rebirth of stability. The Hafsid dynasty would last until 1537, when a conflict of interest between and the saw the establishment of Ottoman control over the region. For another 162 years, the area would see a somewhat stable period of rule under the Ottomans. In 1799, the began to cater to the people of the various Italian states by promoting a revival of ancient heritage, including the ancient city of Carthage. The French and Italians would invade the region in 1801, with the assistance of the , and establish settlements in the region consisting mostly of land-hopeful Italians along with military action against the Ottoman . The Ottomans surrendered the territory to the invaders in early 1805, and months later, the Carthaginian Republic was established on 7 June 1805. Under the new Republic, relations with mainland Italian state would see the vast immigration of Italians into Carthage. At first tied to the , the allowed the Republic to continue its existence in order to curtail Ottoman influence in the Mediterranean, with the establishment of the Gibraltar Pact between the and the Republic in 1816. Carthage would grow and develop with continued Italian immigration, with the continued displacement of the Berber peoples into neighbouring regions. The formalized the territory of the country in 1878, and the Congress also formally deferred foreign protection of the country to the from the United Kingdom. The saw the birth of modern urbanism in the country, and the vast influx of wealth and cultural sophistication created through the rise of industrialism would see the notion of the Republic being a European state arise in contemporary thought. Urbanism and industrialism also led to the rise of , as the vote was extended to women and Berbers in 1904, with the widespread shift to progressivism made obvious by the of the Progressive Party in the 1907 elections. Carthage would be invaded by the Ottoman Empire with their joining of the in the in 1914. The end of the war in 1918 would see the birth of intense nationalism in Carthage with the rise of the Patria movement in 1920, and the Homeland Party would become the ruling party in the 1925 elections. The rise of local nationalism saw the beginning of conflict with the government of in 1926, with the Carthaginian-Italian War eventually becoming a part of the larger . After the victory in the in 1943, the government of the Republic would be restored, and the transitional government would be replaced with an elected government in the 1948 elections. Carthage would join in 1948, generally aligning with the in the . While tensions would persist in the country with the gradual de-colonisation of Carthage's neighbours, no hostilities would ever erupt and the Cold War would be largely peaceful for the Republic. After several decades of conservative rule in Carthage, progressivism would largely make a comeback with the end of the in 1991. Carthage opted to join the in 1997. After several decades of peace, would begin to pose a threat to national security through , with the local domestications of rising in 2004 and the rising in 2012. The economy of Carthage is considered to and , with a great diversity of industries created by more than two-hundred years of stable economic development. Carthage has a significant amount of industry and services, with both making up the vast majority of economic activities in the country. As a , restrictions on small and medium-sized businesses are generally low, with government regulation usually being more intensive on larger, corporations. Domestic businesses, services, and industries are typically preferred by the government over foreign-owned corporations. Consisting mostly of desert, Carthage still maintains a large amount of agriculture, particularly in the northwestern portion of the nation, where the soil is fertile and arable. Carthage also has a high level of education, with various internationally-ranked universities and institutions providing many skilled workers and educated citizens. The quality of life is generally high and the cost of living is considered to be moderate. The citizens and residents of the Republic also enjoy a large amount of freedoms when compared to most other African states, partly due to the prominence of educated, responsible citizens and an accountable government. Carthage has stable, warm relations with most countries around the world, especially with countries of the and other associated states. Identifying as a country of the , Carthage has positive relations with most other Western countries, with the largest allies of the Republic being the , , , and the . Some African and Eastern countries consider Carthage to be an illegal country created as a puppet of Europe in North Africa, although most countries which claim as such, like and , are considered to be in the international diplomatic community. Carthage is a member of the , the , the , the , the , the , and the . Etymology The word Carthage comes from the ancient phrase Qart-ḥadašt, meaning New City. This name represents the fact that Carthage was founded after the Ancient, and somewhat legendary, Queen founded the city after her brother murder her husband in an effort to increase his power over the city-state of . In founding the city, Dido hoped to establish a new region free from the tyranny of her brother. The name Carthage was adopted by the Italian conquerors and settlers in fond recognition of the history surrounding the region, given that the names Tunis and Tripoli were heavily associated with the Islamic invaders that had taken a large part of what was formerly the . The formal name of the country, the Carthaginian Republic, was adopted to reflect the fact that the nation was a republic in both name and deed, and the stylization was intentionally styled after the name of the . History Prehistoric period Tens of thousands of years ago, the , which covers more than 80% of the country, was lush with green vegetation, diverse wildlife, and a temperate . Archaeological evidence indicates that the coastal plain of Carthage was inhabited by peoples from as early as 8000 BC. These peoples were perhaps drawn by the climate, which enabled their culture to grow, subsisting on the domestication of cattle and the cultivation of crops. Prehistoric North Africa was originally inhabited by the and the Libyans, both nomadic peoples. Persians that went to the west from the intermixed with the Gaetulians and became the Numidians. The Medes settled in the region and were known as Mauri, and later, the Moors. The Numidians and Moors belonged to the race from which the contemporary Berber people are descended. At the beginning of recorded history with the arrival of Phoenician settlers by as early as 1200 BC, contemporary Carthage was inhabited by tribes. Punic period The original Phoenician settlers arrived around 1200 BC and established the cities of and , although the inhabitants of the cities did not expand to a much larger state than they needed to continue stable growth within the cities themselves. Various other smaller colonies were established on the Mediterranean coast as to the larger Phoenician hegemony created by the city of , the economic and political capital of the ancient Phoenician civilization. The city of Carthage was established around 814 BC, by a princess of Tyre known as . Supposedly, Dido established the city to escape the tyrannical rule of her brother , who had killed her husband the High Priest in an effort to consolidate power within the city. While at first Pygmalion was able to suppress the truth, Dido eventually found out and fled with most of the wealth that Pygmalion had sought in the killing of the her husband. Dido is believed to have tricked the pursuant vessels into helping her establish the city by threatening to throw all of the wealth overboard and forcing them to return to the tyrant Pygmalion as failures. Thus, Dido would go on to establish the city of Carthage, and, with the help of local Berber peoples and the near city of Utica, Carthage would grow quickly into a prominent city in the region. At first, Carthage was but a small colony of the Tyrian hegemony that had been established across the Mediterranean. Nothing particularly distinguished the settlement from any other notable cities of Phoenician heritage in North Africa. The decline of Tyre as a hegemonic power in the Mediterranean gave way for the increased autonomy of the various settlements which had previously paid tribute to the city. While the Tyrian tributary system was replaced with and later as the leading cities in the Phoenician league, Carthage would become an entirely politically independent polity by as early as 650 BC. Following the political independence of Carthage from the hegemony of eastern cities, the city became concerned with Greek settlements throughout the region, with settlements such as and becoming potential economic threats to Carthaginian trade. This rivalry with Greek colonies in the region would eventually lead to the , commonly seen as the rise of Carthage as a maritime trade power in the Mediterranean with the conquest of various Greek colonies. In this massive expansion of military, political, and economic might, Carthage would establish a hegemony that would extend over most of the Western Mediterranean, , and . By the year 300 BC, Carthage had held a long-lasting hegemony over the Western Mediterranean region. While Carthage had long held a lasting power over the area, the was largely on the rise as an influential power within the Mediterranean as well. In 264 BC, Carthage and Rome went to war in the as both polities had interests on the island of Sicily, and a local conflict pitted the two against one another. This conflict would be the first in a series of conflicts between Carthage and Rome known as the , in which both vied for power over the Mediterranean. While the first war largely concerned Sicily, a melting pot of ancient cultures at the time, the would begin in conflict over the rule of ancient . The second war almost saw the destruction of Rome at the hands of , but eventually, Rome would emerge as victorious and take control of Iberia in 201 BC. The was essentially the end of Carthage as a major power, with the city and its North African dominions becoming a Roman client state. In 151, the Carthage had paid off all war debts to Rome, but Rome became incessant that the treaty between the two entities bound Carthage as a Roman subordinate and that the paying off of debts did not end this arrangement between the two countries. This would eventually lead to the outbreak of the , which would see the total destruction of Carthage and the enslavement of its population by Rome. After centuries of a powerful hegemony in the Western Mediterranean, the Carthaginian Empire had fallen completely. Roman period After the fall of Carthage to the Roman Republic, the latter did not immediately annex the territories which formerly were under the Carthaginian hegemony. While the core Carthaginian territory became a part of Rome, most of the former entity was ruled by the various Numidian states which made up the interior of the Carthaginian polity. It was not until the various city-states of the region were being raided by various Numidian kings and Berber tribes that they requested Roman protection, ultimately resulting in their annexation into the Republic. Following Roman annexation, the area was fully and integrated into the Republic as a major source of . The economy of the region boomed, and the prosperity of the various states increased to a level that had not been seen before by the contemporaries of the formerly Carthaginian cities. It was this massive agricultural bounty that would make former Carthage a vital part of the growing Roman Republic, and eventually, a vital part of the . It was also under Roman rule that would first be introduced into the region, and a separate version of the religion, , would become influential in the spread of Christian thought among the Berber people. The greater period of Roman stability in the region of modern Carthage would largely come to an end with the invasion in 430 AD, which would hasten the decay of the Roman Empire particularly in the regions which make up the contemporary state. The Vandals would continue to rule until 533, when it was taken by the under the rule of . While the Byzantines were certainly more effective at ruling than the Vandals, the waning prosperity of the region resulted in the once great cities being nothing more than just large military outposts. By 600, Byzantine control over the region was weak and there was little to oppose any significant military action in the region. Category:Carthage Category:Nations